Day 0935 - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (2002) - got it

YHF was a mixture of experiences for Wilco, on the one hand parting company with their drummer, but parting with him in favour of new more versatile drummer Glen Kotche.  They were still making the "Mermaid Avenue" albums with Billy Bragg on the side.   Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ended up being rejected by their record label and the band released it online before having the chance to release it themselves the next year on a smaller label.   Regardless of its proliferation on the internet, it was their most successful release up till that point... but to add to the rollercoaster, they were also sued for the use of a sound sample used on the album.

The album title came from the phonetic alphabet used on a collection of short-wave radio recordings that singer Jeff Tweedy had heard.   There is a bit of a short-wave radio sound and a vibe of searching the airwaves to the opening track "I am Trying to Break Your Heart" (which features some great stop-start drumming) and moody, atmospheric closer "Reservations".

The album is mostly a continuation of their melodic alt-country, but the are a few different sounds, like the rocking "I'm the Man Who Loves You" with it's brass that almost has a bit of a Beatles vibe to it.   "Poor Places" is mostly Tweedy singing over a radio frequency-like drones but guitar and piano parts develop over them, building to a crescendo of song and drone.

Another album that my wife owns and that I was more than happy to listen to.

Day 0820 - Being There

Wilco "Being There" (1996)

Following the dissolution of his band Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy and the majority of his bandmates formed the new band Wilco.

 

Initially Wiclo carried on Uncle Tupelo's alt-country sound, but with this, their second album they branched out, both stylistically (genres) and sonically (production).   The opening track "Misunderstood" mixes mellow piano with loud, fuzzy guitar... kind of starting off by letting you know that this is going to be a different kettle of fish.  There is brash rock in "Monday" which, with its bluesy rock and sassy horns doesn't sound a million miles from the Rolling Stones.  

The album is not without its alt-country tracks though.  "What's the world got in store" is a nice bit of banjo heavy balladry.   "Red-eyed and blue" is a beautiful song with almost a sort of jazzy undertone to its mellow country.  The bridge features an atmospheric roomy sounding whistle solo (love a good a whistle solo).  

The penultimate track "The lonely 1" starts with lush strings, letting you think that the album will end on a gentle emotive tack, until the closing track "Dreamer in my Dreams" comes crashing in with its raunchy honky tonk and rocks you out to the close.

A double album and probably a bit long for me, but another one where there no songs I actively disliked and I could happily listen to this in bits and pieces (my wife has a few Wilco albums so this one might even be around the house somewhere).   Actually it'd probably be quite a good road-trip album with its mix of reflective and rocking tracks.